Naruto X: Combat Racing
by Fan of Fanfics
Summary: As the title suggests, a cross with Naruto and Jak X: Combat Racing. Basically a story about Jak X, including an old 'associate' of Krew's who is present for the reading of the gangster's will.
1. Chapter 1

Hey, just one more new story. A little different than usual, in that you have to wait for your explanation as to "How did this happen, or, "How does so-and-so know him/her?" If people really like this story, after its completion, I will probably do a prequel. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own Jak and Daxter or any games involving the characters.

Naruto stared at the others in the room from under the rim of his hat.. Having done his research, he knew who each of them was. Former Krimzon Guard officers Torn, who had gone to become one of the leaders of the Underground, the resistance movement against the Haven city tyrannical leader Baron Praxis, and Ashelin Praxis, the now deceased Baron's daughter. Sitting on the rather large table was one Keira Hagai, a rather impressive mechanic if the files were correct. But the two most interesting people in the room were Daxter, a small orange rodent known as an ottsel, and the one often called the Hero of the World, a young man who went only by the name Jak.

Barely anyone in the room took notice of him. _"And why should they"_ he thought. _"They don't know me, and they don't think I know them. In fact, after this will reading, we'll probably never see each other again."_ Finishing his thought, he began to listen to the conversation.

"Let's get this over with and blow this bird" said Daxter, one of several wine glasses in his hand. "Who called us here anyway?"

"Krew's daughter Rayn" chimed in Keira. That news caused Naruto to look up and raise an eyebrow.

"Wait, Rayn called you guys here?" he asked.

"Yeah" said Torn. "Why? Who contacted you?" This was the first time the people in the room really looked at him. Although his face had been concealed by the rim of his hat shadowing what parts were visible, his face was now completely visible. Unlike the others, Naruto's ears, while pointed, were drastically shorter than all their own. On his face were three whisker-like markings, and from the bottom one on each cheek, a black streak went down his face. But it was his eyes that captured the most attention. His irises were a red color that almost seemed as though they were glowing. His slit-pupils were such a dark black, when paired with the red, it was as if looking into the pits of hell.

"More to the point, who the hell are ya?" asked Daxter, putting his tiny hands on his hips.

"The name's Naruto" said the blonde, leaning his head down and leaning in his chair, resting his feet up on the table. "I used to be one of Krew's top enforcers. From what I hear, you took up my position after I left, Jak."

"You worked for Krew?" asked Jak, not even concerned with why or how this new guy knew his name, merely chalking it up to his fame. "How come I've never seen you?"

"Well, quite a few of you have seen me. But only for short times and only in passing, so it's no surprise you don't remember. I on the other hand remember. I was there on the day you showed up in Haven" said Naruto. "I was doing a job for Krew when this scrawny kid and an orange rodent fall from the sky and crash, before the kid was taken by the Krimzon Guard. My guess is that was you two...right?" Jak and Daxter shared a look before staring at Naruto again.

"Well, I think we're missing the whole point" said Daxter, the small orange furball always feeling the need to talk. "Krew had a daughter. Lardo, reproduced. Geez, can you you imagine what that tub of jelly must look like?" Suddenly, everyone turned at the sound of the doors opening, before in walked a blue-haired beauty.

"Thank you for coming to Kras city" she said with a slight accent, which was similar to Krew's own, but sounded quite a bit more refined. Everyone, especially the men, stared as she walked, a sensual sway to her hips ever present. "Looks like some didn't make it" she continued. "Ah well. I'm Rayn." Her blue hair was kept up in a pleated bun with a red band and chopsticks. In her ears were two golden earrings and she wore a thickly braided necklace studded with golden, egg-shaped orbs. She had on a three-toned green jacket, held closed by a large belt, and white bell-bottom pants with a thick green stripe on each leg that ran from her hips to her ankles. As she walked, her blue, sandal-like high heeled shoes clicked with each step.

"Hey Rayn" said Naruto. "It's been a long time." The young woman seemed stunned for a moment, but quickly schooled herself.

"Naruto. I didn't think you'd come here" she said. The other five in the room shared a collective look, a knowing gleam in each of their eyes, knowing the two must have had some sort of history.

"Why wouldn't I?" asked Naruto calmly.

"Um...yes, well" said Rayn, getting back on topic. "Before father died, his wishes were simple. To have his will played for his closest associates, and for us to drink to his passing." As she said this, she began pouring a red liquid from a blueish-green bottle into the glasses on the table. "This special vintage he kept just for the occasion" she continued. "To toast his death." Picking up their glasses, everyone raised them in a toast.

"Here's to...old friends" said Rayn. "And to father's untimely death."

"And here's to the good ol' days with Krew" said Naruto. "One death and approximately three-hundred pounds ago." Rayn merely shook her head and palmed her face, while everyone looked at Naruto like he was crazy. "What" he said. "Krew wasn't always as fat as you remember. Hell, he used to be fairly tough to tell you the truth."

"Wow" said Daxter. "You _really_ knew Krew a long time ago." Without saying another word, Naruto downed his glass with one gulp, while the others began to drink as well.

"So without further delay" said Rayn. "His message to us." Pulling out the will, she activated it, before a hologram of Krew shot out and hovered in the air.

"Wow" said Naruto, staring at the ball of floating fat that was Krew. "I knew he was getting fat when I left his employ, but he seriously let himself go since I left."

"Hello nearly friends, and mostly enemies" said Krew's hologram. "If you're listening to this message then I must be dead, oh well... As you all know I loved racing, almost as much as I loved weapons. Alas I never fulfilled my living dream of winning the biggest race of all - the Kras City Grand Championship. But even in death, I will field the greatest racing team ever assembled and win the biggest race on the planet. You are the best and you will race for me!"

An outburst of of shouting came from the table, everyone refusing to go along with Krew's wishes. Naruto just sighed. "I knew there was some catch in coming here. Hey, is there any more wine left?"

"I expect you're all riled up by now" said Holo-Krew. "So let me tell you why you will race, and will win. If all went as planned, you just gave a touching toast in my honor. Sorry to say, but I put poison in that special vintage, quite unsporting of me really." Everyone suddenly glared at Rayn, who stood up quickly.

"Father!" she shouted in disbelief.

"This is where Rayn will probably get upset. Sorry dear. It's a slow acting poison, or you'd already be dead! You have just enough time to finish this year's racing season. If you race for me and win, my associates will provide each with an antidote to the poison. Simple, eh?" With that, Holo-Krew vanished. Standing, Ashelin pulled a gun and pointed it in Rayn's face.

"What the hell did you do to us?" she demanded. Rayn put up her hands in a surrender-like manner.

"Please, I didn't know" she said. "I drank it too. Father never did play favorites."

"Yeah, well your Father's crazy" said Torn angrily.

"We're all crazy for coming here!" shouted Keira.

"I think she's telling the truth" said Jak. Everyone stopped when they heard a slurping sound. Turning to Naruto, they saw he had collected all of their glasses and was drinking the remains of the wine in each.

"What?" he asked. "It's good wine."

"But the poison..." said Keira.

"Is nothing for me to get worried about" replied Naruto. "I'm immune to all forms of poison. Trust me. Krew tried the poison ploy on me once before. Man, was he surprised when I not only did I not do what he wanted, but when I didn't drop dead from lack of antidote." Suddenly, the Holo-Krew once more appeared.

"Well, it's been one minute, so I figure by now you're all arguing about how to get out of this mess. My advice is trust no one! Win the race and save yourselves! Oh, and since I forgot that Naruto was immune to poisons, I'll say this once. You owe me quite a few favors, boy, and I know how you are with your honor and pride and all that. So I want you to promise me to race and win. I know you don't go back on a promise, nor will you disrespect the wishes of a dead man." Holo-Krew disappeared once more. Naruto sighed.

"Well, fine, I guess I'm racing. Hell, might even be fun" he said, leaning back in his chair again.

"Jak" said Daxter. "Next time you invite me to one of your little, parties...DON'T!"

"We can do this" said Jak. "We can race, and we can beat Krew at his own game."

"Father bought us the best mobile racing garage money can buy" said Rayn. "You each have a racing car waiting for you. We're in this together, so let's get to it." As the others in the room stood, Rayn instructed them all to follow to the new racing garage.

It was rather spacious, with its own living area, a large television, and in the actual garage portion, a large number of brand new, top of the line cars.

"Oooh" said Naruto, dashing to the one that caught his eye. "I call this one."

"I see you like the Road Blade" said Rayn. "Each car has its own upsides and downsides. However, you're free to modify them as you wish so long as the modifications aren't against the rules. You'll find the schematics of each car in a compartment under your seat."

"If anyone wants anything modified" said Keira, stepping up in front of everyone. "I can always help upgrade your vehicles."

"Hey, that is great" said Naruto, placing his hands in a cross-shape. "But I can do things myself. Thanks for the offer though. Kage bunshin no Jutsu." Suddenly, six copies of the blonde sprang to life and began checking out the car schematics. Everybody but Rayn took a step back in shock. The blue-haired woman did however have a slight blush on her face.

"What's wrong Rayn" said Naruto, chuckling. "Remembering just what my clones can do?" That did it. Rayn had to turn away to keep everyone from seeing the blush adorning her face.

"Now I'm almost wishing you didn't show up for this" she said, making Naruto outright laugh, drawing the attention of everyone else, who were too preoccupied with checking out his clones than hearing the exchange between Naruto and Rayn.

"How the hell did you do that?" asked Ashelin. "Those are solid clones of yourself, not holograms, that just appeared out of thin air."

"And now you're starting to see why Krew kept me around, even with my disobedience at times" said Naruto. "I'm the best at doing what I do. And what I do isn't always nice."

"Well, that's good" said Jak. "Because if these races are as dangerous as I've heard, we all need to throw nice out the window."

"Don't we always?" asked Daxter, jumping up on Jak's shoulder.

"The furball's got a point" said Torn. "For once."

"Thank you" said Daxter, before realizing just what was implied. "HEY!"

"I think we should all get some rest and work on the cars in the morning" said Keira. "It's going to be a long racing season, and we're poisoned. So if _anyone_ needs me..." as she said anyone, she looked directly at Jak, leaning in close. "I'll be up in the second bed area. Good night." Jak could only stare as Keira walked away.

"Um, Jak?" said Daxter, waving his hand in front of the boy's face. "Jaaaaak? Ottsel to Jak? Do you read me?"

"Hmm, what?" said Jak, snapping out of his stupor.

"Well, you guys can go sleep if you want" said Naruto, putting on a welding visor. I'm going to make this Road Blade into a deadly weapon." As if to punctuate his sentence, he suddenly lit up a blow-torch and got to work.

Chapter end

Alright, hope you liked the little taste and get an idea of what's to come. This is my first cross with a video game, so I hope it's well liked.

Peace to all my fans

Fan of Fanfics


	2. Chapter 2

**Ok, a filler chapter only, so it's short, but it kinda explains Naruto's car a bit.**

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I own Jak and Daxter

Opening his eyes at the light that now filled the room, Naruto looked to find it was now morning. His clones were still hard at work modifying the Road Blade. His own personal modifications to make sure he was one of the deadliest drivers out on the track.

"That's quite a handy trick." Turning around at the voice, Naruto saw Ashelin walking through the garage, carrying a few tools. She looked to be quite dirty, covered in oil and dirt.

"Is that the way you always look in the morning?" Naruto asked, causing the young woman to smirk.

"I've been working on my car for two hours" she said. "The fact that you slept through all of it amazes me."

"Well" replied Naruto. "That's the problem with clones. When they dispel, the remaining energy returns to me. And along with that I gain the memories of my clones. Another handy trick which Krew and I put to good use. Unfortunately, I also gain the clone's fatigue and exhaustion. So, when a few of my clones dispelled earlier, my tiredness about tripled."

Looking at his upgraded car, Ashelin shook her head. "Well" she said. "I guess there's a down side to everything."

"Ain't that the truth" uttered Naruto under his breath. That's when Ashelin realized something. Palming her face, she sighed.

"Tell me that your car doesn't have turbo jets in the front" she said, causing all of Naruto's clones to look at her.

"Hey, we know what we're doing" said one of them indignantly.

"Yeah" said another. "You just worry about your own vehicle, and let us worry about ours."

"Figures" said a third. "Even here we got a weird chick who thinks we're some sort of idiot." The sound of a blaster shot was heard and the third clone went up in smoke as Ashelin put her weapon away.

"Anyone else have any comments about me?" she asked.

"Nope, we're good" said one of the clones, before they got back to their work. Turning, Ashelin glared at Naruto.

"Did I mention they have a mind of their own?" he asked. Ashelin scoffed before turning and going back to her own vehicle. "Oh, and I know he upset you, but next time, could you please not shoot my clone in the balls? I get that pain too." Ashelin smirked a bit as she walked away, leaving Naruto to shake his head.

"_Women"_ he thought.

Gradually, the others began to get up as well and start working on their own cars. Naruto could practically feel the tension in the room, both from the worry over the poison and particularly between Ashelin and Rayn. While Rayn was trying to remain civil and optimistic, Ashelin in part blamed Rayn even more than Krew for their being poisoned. If they were going to win this thing, Naruto thought, they were all going to have to learn to work as a team.

Throughout the morning, Ashelin wasn't the only one questioning his modifications, but Naruto liked it. Finishing the paint job, Naruto turned the main color of his car black, with the detailing stripes a bright orange. Along each side, there were flames painted on.

As for the modifications, Naruto was just finishing looking them over. Like stated before, he had turbo jets on both the front and back of his vehicle. The front boosters were mainly for quick stops. A few trips driving into the Wasteland had made Naruto cautious about driving, and also knew that some of the Combat Racing tracks were even harder to control your vehicle on than the sandy desert. The boosters would, in theory, provide him with the means to stop in a hurry in case the need ever arose. And of course, there was no rule against such a modification.

Up in the drivers seat, Naruto's favorite modification. Since arriving in Haven many years ago, he had found that the substance Eco was almost exactly like a form of tangible chakra. Channeling it had become fairly easy, as long as he had a source of the substance. He also realized, that the demon chakra of the Kyuubi was very similar to Red Eco If things went correctly, he could channel the Kyuubi's energy into his Red Eco weapon systems and have a never ending supply of them. As such a feat was unheard of, this modification was also perfectly legal.

"I'm gonna head out onto the practice course" he announced, hopping into his vehicle. "Gonna see just what this baby can do." Slamming his foot down, he floored it, screeching out of the garage.

"I think we found the one guy crazier than you Jak" said Daxter, the orange furball standing on his partner's shoulder, leaning against his head.

Heading out, Naruto made sure to charge his turbo with blue Eco However, he didn't use any red or yellow Eco, settling only on testing the front turbo for the time being. Hitting a straight path on the track, he hit the gas, going as fast as possible toward the wall. Before he could slam into it however, he activated the boosters in front. The results were better than he had hoped for. He stopped almost instantly, only sliding a foot or two.

"Well, that worked spectacularly" said Naruto. "Now for the other little modification." Focusing, he sent a burst of Kyuubi's chakra into the Red Eco systems of his vehicle. For a moment, nothing happened. But then, his systems began lighting up, as did his face. Within seconds, the youki charge had been converted into a red Eco weapon.

"YES!" Naruto shouted in excitement.

"What? What happened?" Naruto looked around for the owner of the voice, before realizing the com system in his car. It kept the racers on a team connected during the race. And he had just screamed his happiness into it.

"Nothing" he said, calming down. "My improvements are working perfectly, that's all."

"There's nothing...illegal?" said Rayn. "Is their? We need you to race."

"Yeah yeah, it's all legal" said Naruto, brushing off her comments. "Which is weird considering what business your family is in. Or what business I'm in for that matter."

"You almost done on the track?" came Jak's voice. "Me and Dax wanna take our car out for a test run."

"Yeah, give me about ten minutes" said Naruto. Going through the other systems quickly, he checked the suspension, handling, and also test-fired a few weapons. Everything went nice and smooth. He was sure that he'd be a force out on the track. Grinning, he headed back toward the garage.

Reentering just as Jak and Daxter left, Naruto hopped out of his vehicle to be greeted by Rayn.

"So..." said Naruto. "Don't tell me you don't at least think about it still."

"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about" said Rayn, turning her head, refusing to look at him.

"Keep telling yourself that" replied Naruto. "But I seem to recall that you were just as into it as I was."

"Naruto" sighed Rayn. "You and I both know there was nothing between us. It was all merely to relieve stress. That's all."

"Was it?" asked Naruto, turning and heading toward the door.

"So what kind of history do you guys have?" Jumping at the new voice, Rayn turned to see Ashelin, who had been hiding behind her own car.

"He used to work for my father" replied Rayn, walking away. "Everything else is none of your business."

Chapter end.

**Extremely short, but it's only filler. Next chapter we get the first race, and with any luck, it'll be out within the week.**

Peace to all my Fans

Fan of Fanfics


	3. Chapter 3

Hey guys, putting out the next chapter I told you about last time. It's out, and it's the first race.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own Jak and Daxter.

The day of the first race had arrived, and the racing team was a mass of nerves. Watching the race announcer and chairman, G.T. Blitz, on the television screen, the group wasn't made any less stressed. The only two not paying attention to the pre-race announcements were Naruto, who was laying on the couch, and Daxter, who was looking up medical files, shaking his head in depression.

"Welcome race fans to another turbo charged season of high stakes, high speed racing" said the blonde-haired Racing Chairman. "As usual, yours truly, G.T. Blitz, will give you a pit row view of all the action as the best racers in the world swap paint in their quest to claim the Kras City Grand Championship Trophy. In the end, only one wheel jockey will claim the prize as the greatest racer in the land. And we'll be here to cover all the thrills, chills, and spills! The season's first race kicks off in a few minutes... so stay tuned, and keep those engines hummin'!"

"The first race" said Jak, looking around at the others in the living area of the garage. Walking up, a short, stumpy old man with a log tied into his Grey-colored hair, decided to give his opinion. Samos, if Naruto remembered his name correctly.

"I fear this affair will end badly" said the old man. "A wise man once said, 'Be watchful of those in front of you, but beware of those behind." Daxter looked at him incredulously.

"What wise man said that?" he asked, making Samos seethe.

"I DID!" he shouted at the small, orange rodent.

"Look" said Naruto. "None of us is happy about this. But we might as well make the best of it."

"Easy for you to say" replied Daxter. "_Your_ life isn't on the line."

"Listen fuzz-butt" said Naruto, hopping off the couch and crouching down to look Daxter in the eye. "I made a promise to a dead man. My word is my life. I don't go back on it. I do not break promises. _Ever._ Got it?" To punctuate the words, he poked Daxter in the scruffy chest.

"Errrr, yeah" said the Ottsel, backing away slightly.

"My father provided everything we need to win" said Rayn. "One of us can do it if we all..." Ashelin pulled out her blaser-pistol and pointed it at Rayn, interrupting the blue-haired young woman mid-sentence.

"Your father got us into this mess" she said. "So zip it before I come over their and play daddy." Naruto's barely pointed ear twitched as he heard someone approaching, causing him to turn, and the others' followed his gaze to the entrance to the garage-living area. Much to everyone's chagrin, in walked G.T. Blitz himself.

"Well well" he began. "I was told we had some fresh wax rookies this year, but I had to eyeball it for myself. G.T. Blitz is the name. I'm the Kras City Racing Commissioner and star of the highest syndicated sports event on the planet. I just came by to wish you luck and to skid down a few rules. No side bets. No cheating. No rule breaks or we'll break you." As he said that, he pointed over at Jak. "You in gear? This is show business boys... and girls. Only the best racers move up to the bigger events, so make me happy... and make the crowd scream!"

"Let's race" said Jak, as his partner jumped up on his shoulder, and the two bumped fists.

"Alright" said Rayn. "Who'll be racing for our team first? We need three to race." Instantly Jak stepped up and announced his entrance.

"You know I'm in" said Naruto, jumping into place right next to Jak.

"And me makes three" said Torn, taking the third racing slot for the team.

"Alright" said Rayn. "Get to your vehicles and take your places on the track."

Heading into the main part of the garage, Naruto, Jak, and Torn entered their cars. "Wait!" They turned at Keira's voice as she ran in with three helmets. "I took the liberty of linking the comm-system into your racing helmets. It'll make team communication much easier than the in-car comm-link."

"Thanks Keira" said Jak, as he and the others placed their respective helmets on.

"Yee Haw!" shouted Naruto, flooring it, screeching out of the garage out onto the track. Even over the roar of the engine, Naruto could hear the roar of the crowd. Shutting off his helmet's communication system for a second, he took a deep breath.

"_Are you ready?"_ asked a voice in his head. Normally, anyone knowing Naruto's past would assume it was the Kyuubi. They would be wrong however. Reaching in his shirt, he plucked up two necklaces he wore around his neck. The first, the necklace of the Shodaime Hokage, given to him those many years ago by Tsunade. The second was decidedly of a darker nature. On the other necklace was a necklace formed of crystallized Dark Eco. Glowing with a dark, slightly purple haze, Naruto once more placed it inside of his shirt.

"Let's do this" replied Naruto, before once more turning on his comm-link. Looking, Naruto saw that aside from those on his team, the other racers were nowhere in his league. A few even looked nervous. That could either help or hurt them in the wrong run, but he wouldn't know until the race began. Taking his place at the starting line, he stopped, waiting in eager anticipation for the green light.

"You boys ready to take Kras City by storm?" asked Jak through the helmet system.

"Hell" began Torn.

"Yes" finished Naruto, seeming all to happy to race and blow stuff up.

"Here we go" said Torn, as the red lights began lighting up, one by one. Eventually, it reached the bottom of the row and time seemed to freeze for the racers. After what seemed like an eternity had passed, the final light, the green one that signaled the race's start, flashed on, and Naruto slammed his foot down on the pedal. The other racers did the same, and the sound of tires screeching filled the air, as the six vehicles blasted over of the starting line. Up ahead was the first turn, a curve to the left.

Deciding to take the upper path through the turn on the right, Naruto quickly shifted, drifting around the curve, before straightening out and using the Blue Eco acquired from the drift to rocket into the right tunnel, picking up a Yellow charge as he entered. He noticed he wasn't the only one, because over on the left, he saw Torn on the tail of one of the other team's drivers, putting quite a few holes in his rear with the Vulcan Fury. Checking his own weapon gauge, he noted he had a pair of Homing Missiles.

They had soon exited the first tunnel, Naruto grabbing the Red Eco charge at the end. Seeing it was a Damage Shield, he smirked. Activating the Red Eco weapon, he slammed on his brakes, forming a barrier. "Guys, brakes, NOW!" he shouted, and Jak and Torn hit their brakes just as he said. As did two of the other team's racers. The third didn't have enough time, nor in the narrow space could he go around. Screaming, he hit the shield and flipped straight over Naruto and into the track barrier. While severely damaged, his vehicle was still working, and he started moving again, albeit slowly. The flames flickering on his vehicle made the top-of-the-line vehicle look like the junker it now was.

"One down" said Naruto, as he took off, his shield dropping. Shooting off one of his Homing Missiles, which took out the now scrapped car, he rounded the bend.

"That was a bit brutal, don't you think?" rang Rayn's voice in his ear.

"Brutal wins Babe" said Naruto, as he shot around a corner.

"He's got a point Rayn" said Jak. "If we're getting down and dirty, we're gonna have to play dirty."

"Alright" said Rayn with a sigh. "Just be careful not to make too many enemies."

"They can't be your enemy if they're dead" said Torn, shooting round a corner, collecting a Yellow Eco charge.

"I hate to point this out" said Daxter, using Jak's car-comm. "But I think your theory is invalid given our situation with Krew." Naruto just shook his head and made a hard right, but jerked his wheel sharply as he was blasted by a flamethrower hidden by the turn.

"Shit!" he shouted, but quickly maneuvered out as a flicker of green caught his eye. He nearly crashed into the track wall, but he managed to grab the Green Eco charge and saw his car repair itself. Making a hard right, Naruto moved down the straightaway, coming up to a choice of two paths. Choosing the right way, Naruto shot around the bend.

"Watch out back there" said Naruto. "There's flamethrowers back there."

"We noticed" said Torn, shooting past just before they flared up again. Naruto could hear Daxter screaming as he and Jak shot around the corner.

"Where are the other two?" asked Naruto, but got his answer as one of the drivers on the other team rammed into his back, causing him to swerve and he would have hit the wall had he not flared a bit of stored turbo through the frontal ports, allowing him to break in time, but it cost him, as the other driver, as well as Torn blasted past at high speeds. Hitting the gas, Naruto caught sight of Jak next to him..

"You ok?" he asked.

"I'm fine" replied Naruto. "You go and catch up with Torn." As he spoke, he became vaguely aware they had passed the finish and had entered into lap two. "If there's one up ahead, that means one behind. You worry about the race. The drivers are mine."

Taking the upper path once again, Naruto scouted the tunnel out, driving a bit slower this time, catching site of the team's final driver as he zoomed past in the left tunnel. Seeing a space to shift between tunnels, Naruto moved in behind and Naruto hit his turbo again, realizing he was nearly out. He hoped he'd get some more and soon if he was gonna catch up with Jak and Torn.

"Rayn" he said through the comm-link. "How are Jak and Torn?" He got static for a moment, but soon Rayn's voice came through loud and clear.

"Their doing just fine" she said. "Jak has caught up to Torn and another of your opponents. He's about to take the lead. What are you doing back there?"

"I'm going to do the same thing to these drivers that I do to my trash..." said Naruto. "I'm going to incinerate them." Locking on to his target, Naruto fired off his still saved Homing Missile, which shot through the air. "I do have to say that I find some sort of sadistic pleasure in this. I'm not ashamed to admit that. Watching them swerve as though it makes much difference. Almost like an animal running from a predator." He chuckled. "But just like nature...The dominant predator gets his prey."

As the words escaped his lips, the missile blasted the driver, hitting his rear right wheel, causing him to flip end-over-end through the air, before landing on its roof, the driver dangling from his seat, upside down. Looking over, he saw Naruto had stopped. He wondered what he was waiting for, and found out a moment later. Naruto was waiting for a Yellow Eco charge to appear, and he got his wish. The driver began to struggle with his safety harness as Naruto crept ever closer, and the trapped man was terrified as he saw the Vulcan Fury guns on Naruto's Road Blade emerge.

Naruto got faster, beginning to blast the downed car. It finally exploded, taking its driver with it as Naruto shot through the flames and wreckage. Seeing a gauge on his car light up, Naruto smirked. He had attained level two weapons. The kills had filled up his Dark Eco power. Laughing as he zoomed past the flamethrowers, he decided to check in.

"Two down" he reported. "Where are you guys?"

"Just hitting the third lap" replied Jak, he, Torn, and the final driver shooting through the finish line.

"I'll be there in a sec" said Naruto, rounding the monstrous bend that brought him back to the start. It was a ridiculous curve, but Naruto used it to his advantage, drifting most of the way, bringing his Blue Eco back to full. Hitting the straightaway, he blasted down the line, drifting the curve before the tunnels before firing through them as well. Clearing them with no difficulty, he saw the rear of Torn's car as he rounded the turn.

"So what'd I miss?" he asked, coming up behind the group.

"Us missing this guy" replied Torn. "He's no slouch. He knows how to drive."

"Well, it's a good thing he have weapons then, isn't it" said Naruto, pulling out his upgraded Coil Gun, peppering the front lead car, but he managed to hit the turn and snatch up the Green Eco charge by the flamethrowers. Hitting the short straight path, the four took the left path. Naruto, however, was running several different directions in his head. Suddenly, an idea hit him, and he smirked.

"You guys got any turbo left?" he asked.

"I got nothing" said Jak.

"Yeah, I got a little saved up" said Torn.

"Right" said Naruto, as they turned onto a lengthy straight path before the monster curve before the finish line. "Torn, get on this Rat-Bastard's right."

"Got it" replied the former KG member, hitting his turbo, getting to the spot, as Naruto did the same to his right.

"What are you doing?" asked Jak.

"Just worry about the race" replied Naruto. "Torn, sandwich." As if to make his point, he slammed into the driver. Torn caught on and slammed into him as well, forcing him to go straight only. He couldn't turn. As they got dangerously close to the barrier, Naruto gave the signal and pulled away, as did Torn. The man between them couldn't stop or turn in time and hit the barrier, and like his companions, did a flip through the air, landing in the water, his car dragging him down, until the bubbles stopped.

With Torn and Naruto crossing the finish line, it came out as Jak in first, Torn in second, with Naruto in a close third.

Entering the garage, The three were met with applause, prompting both Naruto and Daxter to bow.

"That was some race boys" said G.T. Blitz, entering the room. "Let's see, we are live in three, two, one..." Smiling to the camera, he began talking to the small floating object.

"You saw it here folks... at least those of you who didn't die yawning or switch to the bran channel. A bunch of relatively unknown drivers wins their first big race... in lackluster fashion. So, tell us, what happened out there? Were you frightened?" he said, a bit of aggression in his voice. Naruto seemed to be the only one to notice.

"No!" said Daxter, trying to hide his fear.

"Well, wait till ya race against the big name drivers" replied Blitz, causing Torn to step up.

"It get's worse?" he asked, incredulously.

"Hahaha" chuckled G.T. "Much. Think you can handle it?"

"Give them a break" said Keira irately.

"I'll take that as a "no" or a "no comment," and with that, let's take it down to Greaser in pit row" said G.T., signing off.

"That's a wrap" he said. "Listen, I'm not getting much smoke off you guys. I need more spin... more heat! Ratings were down 13 points on that last race. Not happening! If you want to get into the club, you gotta win a lot more, and you gotta win big! Accumulate serious points and maybe I'll give you another interview. Heh... heh... if you're still around." As he walked away, the group looked at each other, obviously irritated by the man.

"It's going to be a loooong racing season" said Naruto, heading for his room, leaving the others to silently agree with him.

Chapter end.

See, I told you guys it would be out by the end of the week. I hope you all enjoyed.

Peace to all my Fans

Fan of Fanfics


	4. Chapter 4

What up? Finally got the urge to work a bit more on this fic. More, definitely to come. I may take a long time, but I never quit.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the Jak and Daxter franchise. If I did, the horror that was 'The Lost Frontier' would not exist.

Boredom...it had officially set in after the first race. The next wasn't for another few days, and the only one managing to keep busy was Keira, who was working on everyone's car modifications. It had gotten to the point that Naruto was actually meditating...though he was getting several odd looks. He had stabbed a kunai into the floor and was half in a trance while in a one-armed hand-stand while balancing on the weapon. It may have seemed bizarre to the others, but to him, the inverted position had a special meaning. Beneath his shirt, unseen by the team, the dark eco crystal was seemingly clinging to his flesh, veins of the dark substance spreading out from the point of contact, visible beneath his skin. Sensing the looks, his eyes shot open, a dark violet color, before returning to their bright red. Luckily, nobody noticed.

"Can I help you?" he asked, a bit irate at his meditation being interrupted. Bending his arm, he snapped it back and pushed himself into the air, landing back perfectly balanced on the ring of his Kunai, prompting Daxter to whistle, impressed.

"Now that's what I call 'Upper-body strength," he said, hopping up onto Jak's shoulder. "Why can't you do that?" His partner just gave him a dirty look, prompting the ottsel to just chuckle nervously and leap down. It was times like these he really wished Tess was around. She may have become an ottsel like him, but she was still more than enough to back him up...that and she had this thing she could do with her tongue...he shivered a little at the thought. _"Note to self, call up the girlfriend. Daxter needs some lovin."_

"That is pretty impressive," Jak finally agreed. "You must have had to train your body for years to have the strength and balance to pull off a trick like that." The whiskered blonde scoffed.

"This?" he asked. "This is child's-play for a shinobi like me."

"Shinobi?" Ashelin questioned, crossing her arms and leaning against the wall. "I've seen and heard of a lot of things, but I've never heard that term before." Naruto nodded.

"You wouldn't. Most shinobi are very secretive. Luckily for you all I'm not most shinobi, so I'll clue you in a little," he replied. "We're warriors. Specially trained from childhood to be the deadliest fighters in the world. We work in silence, mastering espionage, deception, and assassination." At the looks he received from his teammates, he gave a feral grin. "You don't think Krew kept me around for my devilish good looks, do you? Rayn, maybe, but Krew, never." Upon the declaration, the blue-haired young woman scowled, though a blush did adorn her cheeks, before she turned and walked away in a huff.

"That explains why you're so brutal on the track," Torn said, thoughtful. Still smiling that eerie smile, Naruto plucked his kunai knife from the floor. A wind seemed to pick up in the room from nowhere, swirling around the spot where the blonde was no longer standing.

"Believe you me," rang out the disembodied voice of the ninja, seemingly coming from everywhere at once. "Krew, this competition, even you all value weapons too much. I hate having to resort to such brutality to win, but on the track there is no such thing as a subtle kill." Jak, Torn, and Ashelin, the three best fighters, searched the room with their eyes, trying to find the source of the voice, of where their teammate had gone. And suddenly, he was upon them, each pair of eyes widening as they felt cold steel at their necks, a clone behind each of them wielding a kunai. "As for me, I have learned the _art_ of death. I understand it. I revel in it. I am assassin. I am Mercenary...I am fighter for hire. I am fear, I am shadow, I am death itself. This is the way of the Shinobi."

Each clone suddenly disappeared, the original taking their place, dropping from the ceiling. "I could have killed you all before you would have realized death was upon you. Lucky for you all, we're on the same side." Rubbing her throat, Ashelin growled before pulling out her pistol, but she was stopped by Jak and Torn, who forcibly lowered her hand. Again, Naruto smiled, and now each could see his nature, and knew to be wary. "Really, Ashelin, that temper will get you into trouble. Now then, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to see where Rayn ran off to."

As he followed Krew's daughter, something in the back of his mind told him that little display might come back to bite him later, but at the moment he didn't care. He was still reveling in the pure rush of Dark Eco channeling into his system. Much like the Kyuubi's chakra, the feeling of empowerment was incredible, but like the demon's power, it also had its drawbacks. For example, the feeling of euphoria which he felt, telling him in his mind that he could do anything without consequence. He took a deep breath to steady himself and rid him of those feeling, before he came to the door to Rayn's room. He knocked.

"Rayn, can I come in?" he asked.

"No," was his reply. Of course, being Naruto, this didn't stop him from entering anyway. He smiled a bit at the tic mark forming on Rayn's forehead.

"I see all that time in the Wasteland hasn't affected your manners," she said, albeit laced with sarcasm.

"Well, you know me," Naruto said, leaping onto her bed and stretching. "I've never been one to listen when someone tells me 'no." Suddenly he had moved from his spot to behind the glaring girl. "Not that you've ever really said no to me," he whispered in her ear, sending a shiver down her spine. She would have been lying had she said she hadn't been expecting what came next. She felt the tingle of his lips on her neck, his breath raising goosebumps and his teeth nibbling at her bare skin.

"I recognize those sheets," he said, motioning toward Rayn's bed. "A memento, maybe? How I loved the way the silk flowed across your skin." At this point Rayn had had enough and twisted around, glaring daggers at her former lover. Naruto seemed honestly confused by this. "Whoa, I was trying to get you worked up, but not like this," he announced, only to be met with a slap across the face. "What the hell is wrong with you?" he asked incredulously, only to receive the same withering glare.

"What's wrong with me?" she asked, heatedly. "I seem to recall you being much smarter...but four years without a call, no letters...I guess my memories of you have faded." Naruto actually backed away from the girl, who was breathing heavily, a strand of hair falling in front of her eyes, as if to show how dangerously close the normally composed young woman was to outright blowing her top. "Four years, Naruto. At least before then I'd get to see you between your jobs, but then you just drop off the map into the wasteland, and into the arms of some...some...monk WHORE!" Eyes widening now as Rayn advanced on him, he backed into the wall as she got in his face.

"How do you know about her?" he asked, stuttering a bit. Rayn poked him in the chest to emphasis her message.

"My father was not the only one with connections," she hissed. "I was trying to find you, convince you to come back. When they finally did manage to locate you, they saw you with her. To be honest, they had thought she was a man until she removed her clothes and you...you..." Naruto's cheek stung as she once again slapped him across his face. He didn't complain. Now he knew what it was for, it was clear he deserved it.

"I'm sorry," Naruto said, hanging his head. "You deserved better than that, and I'm sorry." Rayn turned around, crossing her arms. She couldn't continue to look at him, see how dejected and pathetic he looked, and remain angry.

"You're right, I did," she said. "But I don't believe I can forgive you...at least, not so easily. You and I both know how dangerous trust is in this business. You had mine once. You had it and you threw it away. If you want it back, you'll have to earn it." As she walked away, Naruto cracked a bit of half-smile.

"So all that stuff about it just being for stress relief...those really were all lies, weren't they?" he asked, prompting Rayn to stop in the doorway, turning back for just a moment more.

"Do you know what hurt me the most?" she said, and for a second, he swore he heard her voice begin to crack, and her eyes had glossed over with tears which she was too stubborn to let fall. "You never even said good-bye." And with that, she left Naruto to his own devices.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

_Falling. It wasn't a new sensation for Naruto. Tumbling downward at great speed. But it was different this time. He wasn't sure if it was something about the falling itself, or maybe how much blood he'd lost, but for some reason, Naruto didn't move. He couldn't. He could not stop himself. There was nothing to grab or latch onto in the open air. The whistling winds in his ears on further disoriented the blonde, and it sunk in that he had absolutely no idea where he was. No clue why he was falling._

_He felt it before he hit. A strange tingling sensation throughout his whole body. His hair stood on end and his skin ridged up with goose-bumps from the almost electric energy coming from below. And then he landed. It wasn't the ground, but it wasn't water either. The thick black liquid was like electrified tar, but Naruto still couldn't move. He watched the thick substance flow over him, felt it burn his eyes and lungs as he accidentally inhaled some. He had no idea where he was, no idea what was going on. But it didn't matter. He had resigned himself to his fate, drowning in the energized goop, sinking ever deeper into the substance. _

_As the lights began to dim, he began to make out raspy whispers. He couldn't quite understand what it was they were saying, but it was soon drowned out by a roaring in his ears. He felt it. His one lifeline. As the red chakra flowed from the seal, the tar-like liquid began to bubble and swirl, and the burning feeling became almost unbearable. The liquid reacting violently for a moment, before Naruto went completely numb, unable to feel anything, and he began to slowly reverse course, floating back toward the surface._

_As he breached the surface, he gratefully gulped in the fresh air. Managing to turn his head, he noticed that the battlefield was gone. He now found himself in what appeared to be a vast desert. Whatever he was floating in seemed to be a natural spring of the dark liquid. Before he could ponder what had happened, he watched some sort of...vehicle, drive up to the edge of the pool, and saw figures get out and just stare at him._

Waking up, Naruto yawned. The dreams didn't bother him so much anymore. He had them enough to get over them by this time. Throwing on some clothing, as well as his twin necklaces, the young man left his room and entered the main area of the racing team, finding his teammates Jak and Daxter already awake, eating breakfast. Giving them a slight nod of acknowledgment, he moved to the refrigerator to get something to eat for himself.

"Can I ask you something?" Jak said as Naruto came back into the living-room area. Naruto quirked an eyebrow, but nodded.

"I think you just did, but ask away," he replied, plopping down on the couch.

"How did you start working for Krew?" Jak asked, and Naruto just shrugged.

"Sig introduced us," Naruto said. "I assume you know him. Me and Sig go way back. He was one of the first people I met out in the Wastelands." Jak and Daxter just gave each other a look.

"So where are you from originally? Haven? The Wastelands?" Jak said, but Naruto shook his head.

"Neither. I was born in a small village called Konoha. In the village military since the age of twelve. Probably a good thing. Those Spargus citizenship tests can be brutal," he replied.

"I know what you mean," Jak said, but was met with an incredulous look from Daxter.

"YOU know what he means?" he replied, grabbing his tail and showing it to the two. "I'm just lucky my fur grew back."

"Well, I'm impressed you actually continue to go along with the crazy shit Jak here puts you through," Naruto announced, closing his eyes and thinking. "That being said...you wouldn't last a day as a shinobi..." Daxter, who previously had beamed at the complement, now had fallen over, planting his face to the floor. Alerted to the sound of footsteps, the three looked up to see Rayn enter the room.

Upon realizing Naruto was looking at her, she gave a little 'hmmph' and stuck up her nose, refusing to look at the whiskered blonde and the reality of just how upset she really was hit him. Until now, she had been trying to distance herself, remain proper and business-like, which is why she hadn't mentioned anything the night before. But now that things were out in the open, she was being downright icy toward him, and he really couldn't say he enjoyed it.

He had always told himself that Krew's daughter liked him, liked being with him. But like always she had never admitted anything, claiming that it was just for stress relief, or just for fun...or that time she had just gotten wicked drunk. He shook those thoughts from his head. The point was she had never shown any interest in him romantically, only sexually. And when she began getting more involved in the 'family business' and he started to take more contracts on the side, the two had drifted apart. A mission to Spargus had managed to take his mind off of things, especially when he met a young Monk girl named Seem.

At first, she believed she could purify him. Cleanse him of the Dark Eco. But soon, the nature of their relationship had gone from enlightenment to romantic. She reminded him of Haku from back in the day. Only where Haku was a boy that usually dressed and acted like a girl, Seem tended to dress a little more ambiguously. Being a monk, it never mattered to her. But she more than confirmed that she was all woman. Unfortunately, being a monk, she and her brothers and sisters at the temple could not reconcile their beliefs with Naruto's Dark Eco training. He never told her good-bye either. He realized solemnly that he had a habit of leaving without good-byes.

Jak and Daxter shared a look, confused at how quiet Naruto was being. Normally, he'd have been flirting with Rayn, sharing some lewd or perverted remark. Despite not knowing him very long, this out-of-character moment was confusing. "Something happen between you two?" whispered Daxter, only to receive a piercing stare from the ninja.

"Don't worry about it. It's my business, not yours," he replied, standing. "If anyone needs me, I'll be working on the Blade." Descending into the garage, he saw Keira assisting both Torn and Ashelin on their vehicles. They eyed him warily, but upon seeing him move toward his vehicle, relaxed slightly. Ashelin, very slightly. She'd be damned before she let the ninja get the drop on her again. He pulled up the schematics of the Road Blade. He contemplated adjusting the chakra-conversion so he could turn his normal chakra to blue-eco and thus turbo, but decided against the idea. Using the Kyuubi's chakra was different. It didn't waste his own energy, and he only needed quick bursts. Chakra as blue eco would be far too draining, even harmful to his health in theory.

"Need any help?" He raised an eyebrow and turned to see Keira, her face smeared with oil and grease, looking over his vehicle.

"Not really. Just need to make sure she's in working order for the next race," he replied. "I currently have all the upgrades I need. Maybe as the tracks change I'll need to make some adjustments, but I can do that myself. When you're in the wastelands, your vehicle is essentially your life. I know how to mod with the best of them." She circled his car, practically drooling.

"I'll say. Look at this beauty," she announced. "And boosters up front. Ridiculous in theory...definitely smart in practice. It was actually a good move. Not many people think about stopping in these races." Naruto nodded. It was after all the whole point. To augment his breaking system. Cursing from Torn grabbed their attention and Keira rushed over, trying to stop the mess the former Krimzon Guard had caused. He knew his way around a vehicle, but these cars were rather temperamental. Naruto had learned that the hard way, or rather, his clones had. So far, they had been crushed by tires, burned out in turbo tests, and hit with misfired weapons. Not pretty, or fun for the original to remember.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"You know," said Daxter, the furry ottsel sitting on the back of the couch. "Aside from a draft in my nether regions, I feel fine. Maybe Krew was bluffing about this whole poison stuff." The hope in his voice was crushed by Ashelin, who came up from behind.

"I had the bottle analyzed," she sighed. "There were traces of Black Shade at the bottom, a rare and deadly plant found in the wasteland. We were poisoned alright." Her hands were balled into fists. If there was one thing that Ashelin hated, it was feeling vulnerable. And right now, the hopeless vulnerability of her situation was beginning to get to her. It was then that Rayn stepped forward.

"Father never cut corners," she announced, disdainfully, and Ashelin looked disgusted to even be in the presence of the Crime Lord's daughter. "Trust me," she continued. "It's the real deal."

"Never Fear!" Daxter shouted, leaping into a standing position with enthusiasm. "When the going gets tough...Jak will get us out of it."

"We're just gonna have to win the whole thing," Jak proclaimed, much to his partner's ire.

"Against those _lunatic _racers out there?" he asked incredulously. "What are the odds?"

"You don't wanna know," whispered Torn, in his own state of depression.

"Odds mean nothing," Naruto said, stepping from the shadows, racing helmet beneath his arm. "Just a bunch of numbers. Way I see it, it's all fifty/fifty. We either win, or we lose. May not be very good math, but at least in my mind, we got a lot better shot than what some stupid odds say." That seemed to perk up most all in the room, even Rayn. The only one not having it was Ashelin.

"Sorry guys," she said. "But I'm not going to trust my life to anyone but me. Just stay out of my way, I'll win."

"Well _somebody_ here had better win," Daxter exclaimed, more than a bit annoyed. "Or I'm gonna be very pissed...and very dead..."

"Well, I better head out to the Loading Docks," Naruto said. "Wish me luck...but then, being the only one on the track should make things easier."

"So what do these, 'Death Race' challenges involve?" asked Jak, and Naruto smiled that slashed smile again.

"Oh, you know, blowing up as many dummy cars as possible, rack up points for kills, that kind of thing," the ninja replied. "And in case you forgot, killing lots of things very quickly is kind of my Shtick. Don't go worrying your pretty little heads. I'll bring home the gold...might even set a few records."

"Just win and get it over with," said Rayn coolly. "The sooner we finish this troublesome business, the better." Naruto just nodded, putting his helmet on so nobody could see the frown mar his face. Heading to the garage, he leapt into his vehicle and sped out, moving into position on the track. As he reached the starting line, he internally sighed as G.T. Blitz made a carside appearance.

"So, Naruto," he began, smiling that irritating grin that made the ninja want to slowly rip each tooth out one at a time. "You ready for a Death Race? After your performance at the last race, you seem to have developed a few fans that love your bloodthirsty nature. Any comment at all?" Turning to the man, he raised the visor of his helmet.

"Just make sure that the track sweepers are ready," he said, and Blitz could have sworn it sounded more like the feral growl of an animal. Flipping his visor back down, he watched the lights flash down, revving his engine, ready to start. When the green flashed, he slammed his foot on the gas. And as his tires spun and squealed, he gave the commentator a solid one-fingered salute before he got the traction he needed and sped off. A stunned G.T. Blitz was left at the starting gate, glad his camera could auto-censor images.

The cars began to appear on the track, and Naruto used his machine guns to take out a few. But even with their paper-thin armor, he wasn't close enough to manage any real damage. Drifting around a corner, he hit a blue eco charge, filling his turbo. Letting the boost loose, he easily covered the distance between himself and the dummy cars. He crashed into a few, almost causing him to lose control and crash into a wall, but points were points after all. Hitting a yellow eco charge, he drifted the corner only to drive over a boost-pad, automatically boosting him so he could shoot up the ramp at speeds high enough to make it across the gap.

Looking to his weapons which he acquired, he smirked before firing off both homing missiles in the air, easily destroying two more of his targets. Twenty seconds of his three minutes had come and gone and Naruto had already destroyed twelve dummy cars. In order to score a bronze metal, he needed a score of thirty. For silver, seventy, and for gold, a whopping one-hundred and ten. He smirked. Childs-play.

"Give me a challenge!" he shouted, filling his vehicle's dark eco tanks with each kill, and unbeknownst to the racing officials and even his team, using what control he had over dark eco to charge the dark weapons even faster. Kill thirty got him the desired result. What happened next...was slaughter to the highest degree. Even his team, watching the event from the racing garage, were a bit awe-struck. A few were even a bit nauseous at the rate and proficiency of the killing. It was pure carnage.

Blitz on the other hand was loving it. Ratings were shooting through the roof with each kill. Despite his dislike of Krew's race team...and Krew in general, the excitement was starting to get to him. Too bad...the kid would have made a fine addition too.

Finishing the three minutes, Naruto had managed to accumulate one-hundred and eighty-six kills, seventy-six more than he even needed. He drove back to the mobile garage, not a word being said over the com-link, despite his teammates all congratulating him on his rather brutal performance...all except Rayn and Ashelin that is.

Chapter End.

Long time coming, but figured I'd get this out, since I'm forcing Karasu87 to do a Jak and Daxter fic lol. And the plot thickens. And before any of you get on me about Seem, the jury is out. The official Jak 3 website lists Seem as male, which is supported by Daxter who casually refers to Seem as "Monk Boy", and by the PS3 trophy "Dude in Distress", which is earned when saving Seem at the temple. However, the official Jak 3 guide and commentary refers to Seem as female. Seem's body type is ambiguous to either gender. Fans are largely divided on the subject. So no complaints.

Peace to all my fans

Fan of Fanfics


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